A year ago, I started a relationship with a guy who is an international student from England. Honestly, when I was younger I loved the UK. I mean, Liam Payne, the culture, the accent? How could you resist. Coming to college, I never expected that on such a small campus I would meet someone who lives 4,000 miles away.
Long distance is tough even when you live in the same country, and trying to date someone from across the pond? Honestly it seems close to impossible. When my boyfriend and I first officially met, I honestly was unsure on how this would all work.
We met about 2 months before winter break, which meant that he would be leaving to go home for a month of the year. It was tough, but honestly, it was a test to see if we actually were meant to be together. In this time in society, it is so much easier to keep in contact.
There are so many fun, interesting, and different things about dating someone who is international.
THE ACCENT
Honestly, this one is super obvious. I mean coming from the midwestern United States, we don’t have too much variation in our accents. The difference in pronunciation in many words is always fun to hear especially if you really haven’t left the country.
THE CULTURE
I realized very quickly just how different we Americans live our lives compared to the rest of the world. We are very loud speakers in a very fast paced society compared to most of the world. Americans also dress more comfortably in our daily life to a very casual degree. Like wearing sweatpants and yoga pants when you’re just going out and about? That’s really not a thing. Good news is that you’ll have a great study buddy because many international students take schooling a lot more seriously.
TRAVEL BUDDY
I honestly had never left the country before my SO and I started dating but loved exploring new places. Lucky for me, my BF also loves going to new places all the time. We now get to plan trips and explore new places together and it’s honestly awesome. I was lucky enough to go to England last summer to meet his family and we were able to go around and take some mini trips as well and it was awesome.
NEW SHOWS, MOVIES, AND MUSIC
There are a lot of different shows and movies that honestly I had never seen before I met my SO. He is also very big on all of these things which helps, but I get to see so much more that I probably wouldn’t have watched or I get to listen to new musical artists that aren’t popular over here.
DIFFERENT DATING CULTURE
There definitely is a difference between dating an American guy and really any guy from another country. My SO is a bit more reserved when we’re in public compared to any American I dated. But there is a difference in behavior, we have our independence and like to do our own things which is to be found in many healthy relationships, but there is never that mentality of that the boys come first always.
FUTURE PLANS
This one is a big difference between dating internationally and dating an American. You really have to think about this when it comes to anyone you date, but dating someone that is in America by visa is kinda tough. It is a conversation that needs to be had if you plan on continuing the relationship. Asking questions like where do you want to be living in a few years, what are your future goals, and even family life are pretty important questions to be asked when you’re dating someone who isn’t from this country.
FOOD
There a quite a few different dishes that not only you get to experience but they do as well. It’s fun for both people in the relationship to try new things, and if you get to travel to the home country of your SO eventually, even some dishes that are similar taste different and it’s honestly pretty awesome to broaden your taste buds a little bit.
SLANG
This one’s kinda fun to learn, even here in the States we have different slang all over. It took me a while to understand what some words meant but hey, I guess it broadens your vocab a bit. Teaching some slang words is also pretty interesting and sometimes a fun topic for conversation.
TIME DIFFERENCE
Speaking from experience, this time zone thing sucks. When my BF goes home there is a 6 hour time difference when ever we get to chat. If your like me and work during the day and don’t get off until about 6pm most nights, its kinda rough. Luckily there is texting and snapchat to keep in contact during the day time. A little tip is to schedule time in both your days to try and talk for at least 30 minutes to an hour as many days as you can to stay connected.
TIME TO GO HOME
Probably the worst part to any college kids school year. Long breaks mean that you can’t see each other all the time. 4 months of the year is a long time to be apart especially if you’re used to seeing them all the time. The fact that you know that they have to go home and you aren’t just a drive away sucks. It really tests the relationship to see if it will be able to survive and as long as you both are willing to make the effort it really is worth it.
If you like someone that lives in a different country, don’t let the distance scare you off. It can be so worth it in the end sometimes and opens up a whole new perspective on things as well. It’s okay to be a little nervous about starting a new relationship with someone in general, especially if you might not get to see them all the time. Would definitely recommend shooting your shot because you never know what could happen.